Treating Hitler Like Any Other Character: The Preacher Press Room At San Diego Comic-Con

Octavio Karbank is not the son of a Preacher man. But he went to San Diego Comic-Con anyway.

AMC’s Preacher is one of the craziest and most surreal shows out right now. That said, it’s a hell of a ride, with the second season’s reception far outweighing what folks had to say about the first.

While Preacher might not be for everyone, as it goes beyond anything you’d expect to watch on television, those who do love the show, are constantly hungry for each new, zany episode.

While at San Diego Comic Con, the cast of Preacher, along with producer Seth Rogen, sat down with members of the Press to discuss some of the recent developments in Season Two.

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments to come out of this latest installment in the television adaptation of Garth Ennis’s violent, roller coaster, is the inclusion of Adolf Hitler. When the character Eugene is sent to Hell, he runs into Hitler. From there, the two almost form a kinship. In one of the most recent episodes, Hitler is made to be an almost sympathetic character as Eugene is drafted into beating Hitler senseless with some fellow inmates.

On that Seth Rogen said, “We’re trying to play with the ideas of redemption and rehabilitation. Like, what’s the point of Hell? Can you change in Hell and is there a point to change in Hell? Those are the conversations we had about that. It would be expected to show the pure, evil version of Hitler…even Hitler was a person, albeit the worst person, but if we embraced the idea of having him be a character on our TV show, then we thought we should treat him as any other character as far as the thought we put into him goes.”

In regards to Cassidy and his love for Tulip, Joseph Gilgun, who plays the junkie-vampire Cassidy, talked about his character’s unrequited love for Tulip. He just wishes Jesse would appreciate her more. Actress Ruth Negga, who plays Tulip explained how it feels like the male-female roles are reversed. This time it’s Cassidy, the man, who wants to stay in and talk about feelings, but Tulip doesn’t want to; she doesn’t think it’s necessary to reveal everything.

Finally, Dominic Cooper discussed Jesse’s inner darkness and how we’re starting to see it manifest in alarming ways. Cooper believes that darkness comes from the guilt Jesse harbors towards the death of his father and from a life living with the craziest people; living in a coffin under a swamp… “it’s not good for child development.” Additionally, that darkness is constantly bubbling under the surface. Cooper concluded by saying that Jesse’s schizophrenic nature with the ease and cavalier way in which he uses Genesis is unnerving.

With a show as crazy as Preacher, who can bet there were a bunch of jokes and filthy humor getting thrown around too. If you haven’t had the opportunity, go and watch Preacher.